I know that today is supposed to be Thirsty Thursday but I haven't had time to really cook or bake this week... or at least from scratch. Like my title, I am trying to find the balance of my life as a single mom and a small business owner. I think every small business owner has this dilemma but when you add single mom and artisan and the dilemma worsens. As an Artisan, we run our business on a daily basis plus create everything for our business to sell. As a mommy, we have a little human that counts on us for everything including love and attention. Lately, my struggle has been to spend more time with Lily doing things with her rather then let her sit on the computer or in front of the tv while I work the day away. (Don't judge me because none of us are a perfect parent!) Part of the problem with the balance is that Lily went from a full-day Kindergarten to a half-day Kindergarten in January. So I went from 8 hours to work without her to 4 hours which doesn't give me much time to get anything done..... or at least that is what I thought.
I found the 15 minute rule works great when I am trying to work as efficiently as I can while Lily is in school. The 15 minute rule is that I work on something for only 15 minutes at a time. In that 15 minutes, I put all my focus and energy on that task so that I can do the best I can. Now this doesn't work in everything I am doing when I am in creative mode but when it comes to the computer work, the 15 minute rule is working great!
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| Lily and I love our home pedicure nights! |
When Lily gets off the bus, I tend to do my house cleaning and chores so that she can "help" me. She loves to help me clean which is a big help to me. I have implemented the 15 minute rule when cleaning too. Lily loves it because she thinks it is a race to clean up. Race against who or what, I am not sure but she has fun which is the best part of it. Plus I set aside Lily time so that we can spend time doing something special. Whether it is watching a movie, creating a craft, baking a treat or something else, that time is all about Lily and Mommy. I am slowly finding my balance and sometimes I need a reminder that I Lily wants Mommy time not business Mommy time.
Each day is a work of Art so go out and create your beautiful day!
I really like your idea of the 15 minute rule. I will absolutely give this a try. I've been struggling to find some sort of balance myself. I am not a single mom, but for the first 1/3 of the year, my husband works 70 hour weeks, so he's gone before they get up and gets home after they're in bed. They're 3 and 4 and home with me all day, so trying to keep them entertained, healthy, and happy while trying to work on my business and blog is tough. I'm always just frazzled beyond belief come Springtime. I keep searching for some semblance of balance, but I've resigned to the idea that there might not actually be such a thing as life balance... like, I'm not sure if I could be an awesome mommy, a great house-holder, a stellar shop owner, and an attentive blogger. No matter what, one or two of those things is going to be lacking.
ReplyDeleteI think it sounds like you have your priorities straight, though. Both your little girl and your creative endeavors are clearly very important to you. When in doubt, always remember that when you are working hard, and you turn on a TV show or a movie for her so that you can concentrate - you're setting a good example for her: that her mommy is a hard worker, and that you're following your creative passions! Kids are very perceptive, and your dedication to what you do will not go unnoticed over the years.
Besides, she LIKES to help you clean! That alone says you're doing a great job :)
All the best,
Ashley
(from the Etsy Blog Team)
Thank you for the words of encouragement! It is never easy trying to juggle all of these at once but I try to take it one day at a time or 15 minutes at a time right now. Life is never a perfect balance but as long as you try your best things always seem to work out.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your little ones. I loved that age though I couldn't imagine 2 at home so I give you so much credit for being a mommy business owner.